"All three of the defendants went to Harrogate for the purposes of selling drugs."

Sentencing the trio, he said their lengthy terms were "fully merited" because of their involvement and "overall criminality".

Judge Spencer added: "The evil flooding of the streets of the otherwise gentile and peaceful town of Harrogate cannot be overstated."

Soares, who the court was told had a leading role in the operation, was sentenced to a total of 20 years in prison.

Shire was handed a total of 15 years in prison, while Abdi was sentenced to a total of 14 years, nine months in prison after being given credit by Judge Spencer for a entering a guilty plea at the latter stages of the trial.

The court also heard that Abdi, born in Denmark, and Shire, born in the Netherlands, could also face deportation.

Following the sentencing, Judge Spencer said: "I would like to commend the police and associated support services for the way in which this matter was investigated and prosecuted.

"The evidence was relatively limited but I'm aware that behind that there will have been an enormous amount of hard work to bring these men to justice."